The Long Route
by TiredWeirdo
Summary: When Yona got lost as a child she walked into a back alley after hearing a scream. this was beyond naïve for a normal young child to do. But this child wasn't exactly normal. Nor was the person who saved her. The outcome of this tale is a body guard and princess getting together and the previously mentioned princess's life getting turned upside down by an idiot with a sword.
1. Ennis

Yona was six and appreciating life to the fullest even if her Best friend and Cousin were out of sight. They'd convinced her to go out in the city to explore and even if she knew her father would be terrified if he knew, the smile of her cousin had lured her into accepting and she was rather curious. They had set off laughing happily as the sun shone and then, while turning a corner, she had lost them. That didn't bother her though, she was a little lost and scared but the feeling was quickly overcome by others. She scrambled around the town with childish excitement. While she wondered the long street busy with people and was filled with awe at how many citizens crowded in the city.

While marching down a wide street she spotted a pretty lilac kimono with a mint green bow around the middle in a shops front. She smiled at it enviously before deciding she could send for it later then continued to bounce down the street exited once more. That's when she heard the muffled scream and drifted toward where it came from: a dark hidden side ally .This is a terrible idea for a young child to put into action. A normal child would know this but to this child the world had seemed to be made for her to play with and she was sure nothing bad could possibly happen.

She edged to it and finally entered the side ally. Her eyes widened, she tried to move but was frozen in shock. A group of men were surrounding a female, who lay on the ground blood pouring from her multiple wounds and her cheeks swollen with bruises, they kicked her and jeered making crude jokes and sniggering. One especially scruffy looking man, with a lopsided smirk and broken, blackened teeth, turned towards Yona. He looked at her dimly and yelled loudly for her to beat it which attracted the attention of the other members of the group and they turned towards her in what could only be described as the way a swarm of piranhas react upon seeing a small fish.

Yona had never felt more petrified in her life. She couldn't move as this was her first out of thousands of glimpses of the sick and monstrously brutal world around her, everything she thought to have known shrivelled and died inside of her and left nothing but dismay and despair. She felt beyond useless in that long trailing second and swore to herself if she made it out she would find a way to never be so unable to do anything as she was at the moment. She felt a strong pang of will to improve but it dawned onto her that she never would if she was taken.

The men still grinning in their twisted way circled Yona. The woman behind took her chance and made a run for it after struggling up. "she's kinda cute and with that red hair we could make ourselves a fortune." came the hollow voice of someone who was behind her, the voice continued almost teasingly "shall we grab her?" this seemed to be something easily agreed on with no debate among the group and they lurched toward her with their hands extended.

Yona finally moved and curled in on herself and began to wail, as the first hand was about to yank her away a flurry of pale ginger filled the vision of all the members of the group and Yona. All the men suddenly blurred and milliseconds later where scattered against each other groaning and with their libs at alien angles. Yona looked around in shock and then to the only person still on their feet. She had a soft face and gentle hazel eyes which resembled gooey, molten caramel. Her hair was a pale orange colour and even though it was straight it curled in at the end and looked soft and silky, her face was youthful and pretty. She wore loose, creamy brown men's trousers which sagged baggily. On her top half she wore something like a poncho (in earthy colours to match her other items of clothing) but with billowy sleeves and a fashionably placed, petite leather belt. Last but not least hung an old looking bag of seemingly poor quality, across her back and the strap wrapped across one of her shoulders and chest.

She mumbled something softly to herself in a light voice and then turned to Yona, and walked toward her with her broken in, large boots barely making any sound for such heavy things. Yona finally comprehended what happened and according to her it had went a bit like this: the young pretty lady had somehow beaten up a ton of guys by flinging herself at them… Yona wanted to be able to do that. The Girl reached her and knelled down extending a hand. "Watch out next time, kay?" Yona took her hand and in a polite but irritated tone answered "I'm not kiddo. I'm Yona. Y.O.N.A" she pronounced each letter loudly and slowly. it gave her a rather bratty and arrogant air. The youthful girl raised an eyebrow "I'm Ennis and you need to calm down." the smile she had been wearing tweaked up at the left corner.

They studied each other and Ennis seemed to realise something. "Are you that one princess?" she muttered seeming all of a sudden frustrated, because it had all become clear to Ennis: the expensive kimono, red hair and general acting as if she ruled the world. Yona nodded. Ennis sigh, _this_ she thought _was going to be a problem._ "Ennis!" Came the demanding voice "teach me how to protect myself and others."

"Why should I" she mused playfully.

"Because I want to be able to defend myself like you did and I never want to be as useless as that ever again"

Ennis rolled her eyes but smirked "Nah, look I have a life you know… I mean-…" Ennis rambled on unintelligibly as the fact was she was rich, didn't need to work, knew nobody, had no duties, lived alone and was bored so in all technicity didn't have a life and it was difficult to convince the child that she did.

"Okay, fine whatever kid. I don't have anything to do and I have all the time in the world. Plus this is a direct order from our princess so I'll do it. Just come here-" She scribbled down an address on a piece of crumpled paper from her bag and handed it to Yona. "Whenever you can," the house was close to the palace and Yona nodded remembering the large mansion which could be seen from one of the balconies, it was a large faded place and rather mysterious. She could do that easily "I'll come every night" she promised. Ennis smiled, she was beginning to like the kid standing before her.

* * *

"Again." Came Ennis's once soft but steadily harshening voice. She was enjoying the sense of freedom from being a teacher. Ennis usually did what others told her and this was very liberating for her, Yona on the other hand felt caged up being told what to do. Ennis smiled to herself _this is actually pretty fun_ she thought as Yona raced around her inner courtyard. No one would ever see Yona train apart from Ennis as no one ever came to the large mansion much less entered it so it was pretty much ideal for the princess to grow in strength here secretly but that didn't mean she actually enjoyed running long laps ,doing push ups and other strengthening exercises.

Yona raced another lap and swore to herself that she was dying, it felt like it after all. she had never felt the burn of not being able to breathe fully and had also never been forced to run this much, she had snuck in to Ennis's for several evenings now finding ways to escape the castle and enter the mansion through a backdoor Ennis had pointed her towards. Ennis was currently curled on the stairs leading from one of the hallways in the mansion to the large open space dotted with trees which were in a state of bloom. the grass was a soft green and in the light of the moon reflected the large pond gleamed with almost phosphorescent light. Ennis was happy and content, that was until a certain someone appeared in her line of sight. "I'm going home now it's getting late" only a hint of a bratty tone remained as the girl spoke. The past week she had tried being more humble and to build on the realisation that the world was unfair and cruel to many, but, as many things do, habits die hard and also she was too out of breath to perhaps convey words in the usual way. She had found her way back to Hak and Suwon with Ennis's help after being saved, but Ennis had left upon seeing them. Her father knew nothing of the incident as the trio covered their tracks well and returned swiftly afterwards.

Ennis, who was half asleep and in deep thought started blurting out her inner turmoil aloud and in between all the nonsensical yawns and half formed words this is Yona's generally understanding of what Ennis said: "when she's done with basic fitness maybe we'll do weapons-" she paused in deep thought "a knife for her build, then a sword, like mine… then I can teach her to cook and do other basic tasks… it'll help her but me too as she can do some of my housework…which is more the reason to keep training her…". The rest was impossible to make out but Yona knew it was something about hunting and she heard 'Damn red head'. Yona took this as a good time to leave.


	2. Sorry

It had been about seven or so years since she had met Ennis. Yona was a tough teen. She had learnt to use knives, throwing knives, daggers, the bow and a sword which Ennis seemed especially passionate about (maybe because it was her favourite weapon?).she snuck out whenever she could and Ennis was always there to greet her. They studied things she would have never learnt in the castle, like for example: how to best kill people, how to stand torture, where everyone was starving and the best ways to think on the move. She was much smarter now.

As well as the daily body building Ennis would teach Yona ways to be lighter and move flexible, so she could hurl through the air like an arrow. It was difficult though and there was always a lot of blood when things went wrong.

Ennis proved, in time, to be an ideal mentor. She was tough, smart, understanding and willing to share her seemingly infinite knowledge (she was a terrible cook though). She would mess up sometimes but she always righted her wrongs and soon became little Yona's role model. Yona changed entirely as a person but decided to keep up her 'bratty naïve princess' act at the castle to avoid suspicion. She had developed the same sense of humour as Ennis and they were as close as sardines in a tin. They were the best of friends. They trusted each other with their lives and adored the others imperfections. There were a lot of imperfections. Ennis could never admit she was wrong and Yona always thought her opinions were flawless and she was over confident. If one was having a bad day she knew they always had the other to talk to. And one day there was no one to share their problems with.

Ennis had made Yona into the perfect image of strength, agility and intelligence all while keeping it secret. Sometimes people noticed small things like a bit of blood or a large cut on her hand but Ennis had taught Yona how to think fast and she was great on the spot even with excuses.

Yona had always promised herself she would find everything about Ennis, especially how she knew so many things. Her name and she were foreign and when asked Ennis mumbled about having the same name as a great grandmother and being from overseas. She wanted to repay her mentor. And then out of the blue Ennis was gone. Her brand new and hyper-intelligent mom figure was gone. Maybe she died. Who knows?

* * *

It had been near to a year since Ennis left. Yona was only left with memories. Ennis adored Yona but seemed to struggle to understand that she wasn't as well developed as herself, Ennis had trained her entire life to be a master at society but she lacing in the social skills. She was witty but could come off as to harsh at times, but all of Yona's memories remained fond. One time Ennis had taken her to town.

The long off white dress was ragged at the corners and dragged on the ground quite a bit. It was much too large for Yona. As a twelve year old fitting into Ennis's clothes was near to impossible but she couldn't exactly where her own clothes as they were to richly made. Ennis sat beside her in a black hood and wearing similar clothes to her usual attire: baggy trousers and oddly shaped scarves. It was a special occasion though. It was a festival and the town was lit with fireworks and other beautiful lights. Ennis grabbed Yona's hand and pulled her to the side.

Her breathing was short and sharp and Yona was worried. "What's wrong?" her worried voice came out shaky and confused. Ennis was meant to be an all knowing mentor with no problems which she could rely on. Ennis's face was red and her eyes gleamed with something unfamiliar to Yona. Ennis grabbed her sack and nimbly brandished a cape with a hood. She set it on herself and pulled the hood till it completely covered her flushed face.

"I'm so sorry. I thought I could. Just this once. For you…I'm sorry."

There were more people than ever at this festival and they were on a main route. They headed back and didn't bring it up again.


	3. Orange

I'd always hated crowds. Even as a toddler I got nervous and frightened when surrounded by too many people. Back then I could just close my eyes and ignore it. After a certain age it was impossible to do that though. I had panic attacks sometimes and then my mum would sweep me to the side and utter calming word. That was one of the worst outcomes. If you've ever had a panic attack you know what it's like: there is nothing but fear, all of a sudden common sense no longer matters. Everything seems unstable and frightening. You are unable to think logically you just shake and can't move your body properly. I hated that.

It only got worse as I grew up. I suddenly became aware that everyone I passed, no matter what, was judging me. If I walked past a mirror I'd only pint out all the bad bits. After all they were too big to ignore. Blotchy skin, spots, the round face, the odd eye colour and most of all the hair. It made me stick out like a sore thumb. I actually quite liked the calming colour but it brought unwanted attention.

It reached its peak after my parents died. I hadn't really liked them that much, they judged quickly which was exactly what I was scared of. They pointed out my vices instantaneously and only focused on one goal: to find our destined family leader and to follow him. They did this obsessively. My parents only had me so that I could have children too and enlarge the family so we could protect 'the leader'. We inherited money and a fine business and I was taught how to protect and care for our 'leader' from the time of my birth. If I made a mistake I was punished. Even if I hated them it meant I had no one to stick with in crowds or comfort me. My mother never loved me. She was still a teen herself, she just wanted to please 'Him'. She still tried to act as she knew a mother should.

After that I stuck to back alleys and rarely introduced myself to people as I knew they would judge my name. My family found a mysterious foreign traveller long ago. A woman named Ennis. She had directed them to their leader. The Orange dragon blood hadn't been strong enough to sense him so they had to find him themselves. We served him until he died and were never mentioned. We were no that crucial. I was named after the traveller. It was a dumb name. I also possessed the orange dragon blood bestowed upon my family. It wasn't remarkable like the other dragons. It made us more powerful, durable, smart and fast. That all came in handy. But at a price. We died early, we always had an Achilles heel (mine was panic attacks and getting frequently ill) and of course the orange hair.

I lived all alone in the place my parents left me. Dad died at thirty which was the average death age in my family and my mother committed suicide after realising 'He' probably wouldn't come in her generation. That what I was told at least. I think she just got sick of dealing with me alone and not being fertile enough to carry another child.

I was out getting food one day and I met him. His name was Sora and even if I don't believe n the soppy 'love at first sight' I liked him as soon as I laid eyes on him. I didn't love him. Love takes time and genuine love for everything about the other. I was passing in a short cut which little people knew of. He was too. He was eating a fruit in the dead centre of my passage actually. I swallowed loudly. He opened marsh green eyes and sat up his black curly hair shaking. He beamed at me in a way that seemed to say 'sup random stranger!'.

I cleared my throat. He stood and grabbed my hand into a shake. "You look cool. I'm Sora. You?" I was too startled to stick to my usual rules of zero interaction. But he had a friendly and inviting smile which comforted me.

"…Ennis."

I was too confused. I studied him. He was ruggedly handsome and looked like a bit of a rogue. I liked him. "See ya then Ennis!" he then left tossing the fruit up and catching it repeatedly.


	4. Kiddo

Yona still missed her. It had been a strenuous year without her teacher but she still trained in secret. She hated betraying her father but she wanted to be able to protect herself and others. She would never be as amazing as Ennis was. Her master was out of this world. She didn't let her discourage her. A little was better than nothing. She kept knives under the floor boards and in some parts of the roof she would take out the tiles and place a sword on the empty patch and then cover it over.

Her pretence of ignorance continued. No one noticed the subtle depression sweeping over her. Sometimes, at night, she would wonder around the castle with a black hood covering her face. Ennis wore a lot of hoods. Especially in town. She didn't know why she was replicating it but she just felt like it. She also wore Ennis's clothes occasionally. She had looked through her house when she disappeared. Only a few things were left behind. She treasured those items. In secret of course. No one could find out that the innocent and young princess was a sword wielding sarcastic idiot who missed her highly dangerous mentor. If somebody found out…. She shook the unpleasant thought.

No one could ever find out about this. Ever. She would have to leave if somebody did. It had become almost a weakness. The constant worry, the what ifs… she practised continually imagining Ennis by her in the black of night "you need to build up your stamina. Your strength fades too rapidly." She imagined she'd say or "good work kiddo!" at the end of practise.

Since their meeting she hadn't been able to shake the dreaded nickname. When asked her teacher would say 'you're around twelve but you still look like a measly five year old!' she was an absolute tease. Yona knew that well enough to not take it seriously. She was just like Hak in a way. She liked Hak more than she ever could have without Ennis but she kept a safe distance all the same. They could not get to close. She had begun to feel lonely. Normally she would have shared her frustrations at keeping the pretence and hiding the truth with her Master but with her gone she felt like a ticking bomb ready to expose the reality of her situation. She desperately needed a friend. But there was no one around that could keep a secret.

* * *

I saw him multiple times after that. All of a sudden with Sora I could talk. I had never been a big talker in fact I spoke very little. But with him… I just exploded with stories and jokes. I saw him again in a few terraces and later, since we both had free time, I began to trust him enough for us to talk. At first it was only idle banter but then it became deeper. He was funny and told me I had a good sense of humour as well so I made jokes whenever I could after that small comment. It shouldn't have affected me that much but it did.

I became more expressive and actually developed a personality and along the way after a few months my friend turned into my object of desire. Without knowing it I had fallen in love with him. I hid it as best as I could, besides I didn't know if my feelings where returned and I was further more too shy to tell him straight out. I also dint want to risk our friendship. If he said he just wanted to remain that way there would always be the awkward knowledge that he had crushed my hopes and that I was still alone, clutching on strings.

I would sometimes lay awake at night thinking how I could tell him and promise myself I would do it the next morning. I knew I never would and I never did.

I asked Sora where he worked once. He answered simply 'I actually work at a bar in the evening and I sometimes run errands and do odd jobs!' I had expected something of the sort but the way he said it with such enthusiasm made me break down laughing. He looked mock offended for about three second before a wide smile stretched upon his face and he begun laughing too.

One night I decided to visit him at work at the bar. He was polite and charming and served me a drink. I spent most of the evening at the bar and returned home the usual way, except this time I was drunk on happiness. He was perfect. I loved him. I loved every inch and detail. His flaws were non-existent one or two people didn't like him for his sarcasm and never being able to take anything seriously but that was their opinion. I was in heaven every time we were together. He also seemed to enjoy it to which increased my cheerfulness.

And then one day I found out his flaw.


	5. A taste of freedom

That evening Yona put her hood on once again. She slipped into Ennis's clothes which now fit her just like they had fit Ennis. They both had a small build. She decided on her favourites that evening: her masters baggy cream trousers, a black hood and cape and to complete the outfit a burnt umber shirt with droopy sleeves. She still had no clue why she did it, maybe as a stress relief from pretending to be something she wasn't all day and the ever building worry for Ennis. But she did it. She poked her head out the door and looked around to see if there was anyone there. There wasn't. She was in luck this evening. Normally body guards were standing guard but they were probably changing shifts.

She wasted no time in preparation. As soon as she realised there was no one she launched herself at the wooden barriers serving to stop people from falling out of the building and just for the sake of open air. She hoped on and used one of the pillars to escalate to the roof. This feat was done in a monkey like way but surprisingly was still very graceful.

She was now sat on the roof and breathed deeply and smiled naturally unlike all the forced ones she had to make during the day. In these precious moments of freedom she felt relief no other activity seemed to bring her. She was alone, she could do what she wanted and she didn't have to fake all her movements. She lifted her now buzzing with excitement body and skipped down the centre of the roof like an acrobat. This evening she was going to town, or at least she hoped she could. If there were too many guards she would never risk it and instead go back to her room disappointed. That wasn't very often and she hoped it wasn't the case today. Her morning had been extra difficult. Her cousin Soo-won had made a visit. Several years back she had a crush on him but it was shallow and Ennis had once said 'All relationships take time. If they don't they are not strong'. She had been completely right, when evaluating her feeling for Soo-won it was merely for his looks and her need to fill a hole her mother had left. Ennis had filled the hole now and she had no need of the childish feeling.

That entire day Yona had to lay it thick that she was just a regular brat. Yona thought over the day with bemusement at how foolishly she had carry out. Her ordeal was quite a challenging one. She gazed over the town. She was planning to get some food find some random person to drink with and vent to at a bar (all while keeping her hood down and her face hidden). Unfortunately those plans were soon to be cancelled.

"Who are you and may I ask what you're doing on the castle roof?" came a voice behind her.

* * *

It had been a relatively ordinary morning. I got up, ate breakfast (which was disgusting as always because I made it) and then got changed. I settled for the scarce kimono which I wore once in a blue moon. It was white and over it I wore a chestnut coloured shawl. The obi was a dark pecan brown. I stared at the mirror and at the clothes strew around me. I came to a realisation: all my clothes were white or a shade of brown. Creep. I then ignored the cloak and swept past it. This was very difficult. Once in two moths I attempted to build my confidence by leave it behind. It didn't work. I just felt self-conscious. I exited the house by the back and weaved to a meeting point me and Sora had developed in the mornings.

We did this most mornings. The sky was clear today. No clouds. I took that as a good sign and tried to cheer up. I now know I shouldn't have. Sora was laying there and instantly my day brightened. I was a complete idiot. I was far too in love. He grinned and sung his usual greeting. He then clasped my hand and said "just wanted to tell you I'll be leaving tomorrow."

I felt my eyes widen and my draw drop. "I'm Sorry, but what did you just say?" I must have miss heard.

"Ennis… I'm leaving tomorrow. My family is calling to me once more to carry out their business. So I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll miss you." He said as if it was nothing. It was everything. I then did something I would regret for the rest of my life.

"I'm in love with you Sora. Please don't leave. I've inherited a lot of money from my family and I can support us both financially!" I wanted to die. Had I really just said that?

"I know Ennis. I have to go though. Family is calling. I thought you were poor with all the weird clothes you wear. Well life is full of surprises! I would have probably been better friend if I had known." He grinned. He continued "maybe I would have married you for the money. But I'm already married to some daft air head due to my parents. I'm going to make it easier for you to understand. We were friends because I thought you had connections that could help me out. When I found you didn't I couldn't shake you away. And then I thought I could set you up with one of my friends because you were cute. "

For a second I couldn't move. The only person I had ever loved and trusted had betrayed me. My heart shattered. There was a massive pain in my chest. I then did what I do best. I punched him in the face. He yelped and his curly hair fell on his bloody face. There was a lot of blood on my fist. I dashed back to the safety of my house and locked myself in for an entire month crying. I promised myself I would come close to no one. Ever. No one could be trusted. I would only feel broken again if I did try to make another friend.


	6. Quick Stroll

Yona was taken aback. Someone was on the roof with her. She turned back to see the figure behind her. It was no use. It was just too dark. She shifted "are you any better?".

The person chuckled. Yona decided it was a man. The figure was tall and the voice was not in any way feminine. "Could you just give me your reasoning for being on the roof?" He asked. I felt compelled to answer.

"I'm a lady-in-waiting. I was just taking a quick stroll."

"Quite a place to walk."

Yona swore under her breath. Ennis had taught her quick ways to make excuses. One of the rules had been 'if your somewhere you shouldn't be tell them you work there and you're just taking a breather. This is only if you can't think of anything else. Otherwise it's really awkward'

Yona was stuck. She would have to leave real quickly but the need to go into town egged her to do something beyond stupid. Maybe she just wanted to talk. She replied.

"Yes. It's a lovely evening."

The man moved forward. "You don't seem like a lady-in-waiting."

Yona thought hard and then among the chaotic thoughts of food and Ennis came a ray of hope.

"Fine. I see you don't believe me. Ask me any question about the princess."

The man walked towards her. "Or you could show me your face." He said sarcastically. In the light of the moon she caught a glimmer of blue. It was definitely Hak. Her secret could be blown at any second. _That overprotective block head!_ Was all she could think.

* * *

I was even more over protective after the incident. Before I conversed with people, not much but I did, yet now I refused to engage in even the smallest banter. I became aimless. Saying that I had a will to live before then was an overstatement but I kept my health in check. But after that I went days without eating, I didn't clean the house, my hair hadn't been brushed in months and hygiene seemed a mere after thought.

One day I snapped. I don't know why but I just told myself _'you do not need anyone to live for. Live for yourself. You will always be alone. Deal with it. Now make some rice!'_ and then all of a sudden I was back to normal although I was much more reserved. I had my pathetic and worthless life back on track. It still sucked but I wasn't a glaze eyed carcass anymore so that was good. I held up pretty well on my own for a decent few years. And then another life changer arrived.

A thin passage in-between two buildings. One of my usual routs passed by it. I had never ventured through it as it linked to a main street which meant people. I passed by it to get some rabbit from the butchers when I heard a piecing scream. I back tracked and skirted around to it. There were people at the end of it but I reassured myself they wouldn't see. A group of men surrounded a young red headed child. I was tempted to destroy something with my superior strength. It was him. I felt a pull to her. It wasn't me wanting to go to her but an unnatural and alien force.

I had to protect her. I gave myself a second to regain control of my body and then I went all out. I flung myself at the first man and he landed on the floor. From what I had seen he had perhaps broken all his ribs at the force of my kick and then the impact had broken his arm and hit his head. He was out cold. I bounced back and forth kicking using the men as posts to launch myself and of course punching. It took a few seconds perhaps and they were on the floor in a sea of blood and wailing. Most of them would be deformed for life. That didn't matter right now. I turned to the girl. She had been crying. I was her saviour. Sometimes this life shortening ability could without a doubt come in handy.

"And here I thought I didn't need someone to live for." I muttered to myself before walking to her and knelling to my master and extending a hand.

"Watch out next time, kay?" for the first time I felt at ease talking to a stranger.


	7. Bag

Yona knew that Hak could easily overpower her. Her only advantage was being more agile. It was time to escape. As fast as she could, she slipped over the edge of the roof and then caught the underside of the roof and pulled herself into the little cubby hole the beams provided. She heard Hak yell in irritation, mostly at himself, and try to find Yona. But by then she had scrambled to her bed chambers. It was not a good situation. If he decided to look for the trespasser on the roof she was sure to be found out quickly. So she had to find a way to cover it up.

She discarded the items of clothing and hid them behind a loose tile near her bed. She changed into a silky pale pink nightgown and lay in bed. This was going to be very tricky. She had been much too careless. Even so she wished she could have indulged in the comfort of unknown people stumbling around her and a warm plate of food. She could have that here easily but it lacked the feeling she sought.

She sat up in her bed and leaned over to catch a glimpse at the bag under her bed. It was still there. In it was clothes, food, money, medicine, weapons and various other items she had collected over the year. If things went bad she could pick it up and leave. At least that what she told herself. It would be much harder in reality.

The bag was both a reassurance and a worry. It seemed to say: you have another option and you don't have to do everything perfectly. But it also said: if someone finds this your dead. She checked it over every evening, for clues of anyone noticing it. Yona stretched her arm under the mattress and brought it onto her lap. She pulled the buttons apart and emptied the sack. All the items were there. But she still filtered through each one to check if they had been touched. She scanned for missing pages in a book of recipes and useful addresses. On her knives and swords she sought knew scratches, rips on her clothes, broken stems in her herbs and an incorrect amount of coins. Nothing was astray. It was just as it should be. She placed it back under the mattress in the far corner.

* * *

A white base with a peach orange over layer. I'd worn much worst. I tied a baby pink ribbon around the middle. A glance in the mirror confirmed everything. I was a mess. I hated everything I saw. From the dead animal look alike which was my hair to the bags under my eyes. I was short too. That meant I was light. It also meant I was often mistaken for a seven year old. I was eleven.

I finally ripped my eyes from the mirror and ran to my mother's room. I don't know what drove me to do that. My motive was forgotten when I reached my destination. I slid the door open and went to greet my assumingly resting mother. She wasn't in her bed. This was unnatural as she recently only got up in the afternoon. That when I saw it. I didn't scream. I guess I was either too shocked or too desensitized to that sort of thing. Her body lay cold and bloody. Her dead eyes blank as fresh snow. She had a smile resting on her face. She must have been happy to leave me. Her wrists were slit.

I sat and contemplated my options. I decided to tell our one and only staff. Looking back this may not have been the best choice. I hurried to her and when she saw the leaked and cold corpse she wailed in horror and threw up in the corner. I held her hair. I was later told I looked as dead as my mother. But with no smile. No emotions in general. I was a walking doll.

Everyone thought it was because I was silently grieving at the loss of my mother. That wasn't the case. I was thinking of the inheritance and how to live without her guidance. I don't think I cared very much for her. The maid eventually called the town guards and they took out her body. One of them touched my shoulder and said 'it's going to be alright ginger.' he was trying to reassure me. I didn't need reassurance but I was also told that I looked troubled after that comment. I think it's because he called me ginger. I don't really remember much about then.

Human emotions had always been a mystery to me. I started feeling them then. I was finally involved in something. I was finally alone in the world. That was scary. I had felt fear before, namely in crowds but after that fright I started feeling other things.

The maid left soon after. All the money was given to me and I was alone. Nobody came too look after me. I could do it myself. In time they forgot about the orange haired girl named Ennis who lived alone in the big house. Also now that I had begun to do things for myself the food was beyond bad. I could cook but it was bad tasting.

And so began my many years of loneliness and failed attempts at good food. Sora came and left. And then she arrived. I didn't want to hand a kid a weapon. Eventually my will crumbled. I gave her a little reasoning but in truth I just couldn't say no. it hurt my entire being. she grew up and I began to like her as not just a master but a friend. I couldn't understand her sometimes. I had only trained with my mother and in comparison she seemed impossibly weak. She was also difficult to understand in the emotion department. I had experienced my fair share of emotions: fear of crowds, love for Sora, pain of loss, loneliness and happiness at finding someone else. But the other things were beyond me. I made up for that by telling jokes and listening.

I think I finally became a full human on a dark evening. Yona was still young but she was good, for a human at least. She wasn't the strongest but damn was she fast. Almost as much as me. She was sweating and out of breath after a fight I had won. She looked at me and she muttered 'I'll come back tomorrow master.' I don't know why I found it so funny but I burst out laughing. She had gotten it wrong. She was my master. I had never told her about the dragons and my family but I assumed she knew where I stood: beside her and under her. She looked confused and I slapped her across the back "see you tomorrow then loyal disciple!" I practically radiated joy. She smiled along with me and left. Her being seven couldn't understand these things. I didn't want to tell her. She was much too little.


	8. Mum

The next morning was nerve wreaking. Yona could practically feel the tension surrounding Hak. She had plans to pull him aside later and tell him some made up bullshit that would hopefully reassure him. Hopefully was the key word here. She received a warm welcome from her cousin which she returned.

That's when she saw him. Hak had obviously had a very rough evening and looked tiered. This was the right moment. She crept up him from behind. To say he was angry when she grabbed him from behind was an understatement.

"What the hell was that for idiot!?"

Yona, being Yona, burst out laughing. "Why are you looking so down Hak?" The question caught him off guard. Under a second ago she was laughing breathlessly and then she was stone faced and serious. It was honestly kinda creepy.

"There was someone on the roof yesterday claiming to be one of you ladies-in-waiting."

With extreme caution Yona straightened her face out and tried to not look suspicious. "One of my ladies actually does that. Could you tell me more about her?" Hak tensed. Yona had never been like this before. Something was wrong. He eventually decided to answer her question.

"She was wearing trousers and a long black cloak. I couldn't see her face." Yona nodded and turned to Hak and told him it was indeed her lady-in-waiting. All Hak could think was that there was something incredibly fishy and secretive about the way she talked. He had to talk to the girl on the roof again.

"-you should probably let her climb on the roof from now on. She tells me it relaxes her. Got to go. Bye!" the conversation ended just as Hak came his senses. He had a new goal.

* * *

Long orange locks fell to the floor. I'd always cut my hair. I never trusted anybody else enough to do it for me. I had let it grow out but the split ends seemed to be breeding so I cut it once more. I never enjoyed this ritual as I had to look at the only mirror in my house. It was an old relic passed through the family. I hadn't had the heart to chuck it out along with my parents stuff. Its home was now face down on my father's old study room. Something I didn't like in a place I didn't like.

I had decided on an inch and a half. It seemed like a good amount to take off. I finished up and swept the hair into the back yard. Mom had always told me to do this. "It'll keep the slugs away." She used to tell me. I don't think that was true. To me it was a dumb thing parents told their kids. Nodding and leaving was my usual reaction. I once turned back to look at her while doing this. She looked miserable. I suppose any mom would be at an emotionless child who actively dislikes their parents.

Today I felt different. Maybe that was bad. Maybe not. I had taken the only non-brown top from my closet and I sported a green long shirt reaching to my knees and bark brown trousers. At this point I'm pretty sure my favourite colour is brown. It was nice to have a bit of personality. With everything else it was a non-specific mess: my favourite food was anything I didn't cook, I didn't have a favourite song and my favourite smell was anything that wasn't rotten.

"Ennis, are you okay?" asked a bold voice tinged with worry. Yona. I had been too deep in though to notice her.

"Yeah, sorry." Came my answer. Yona having been calmed tossed me a small bag.

"What's this?" her answer came in a smile. She had grown up a lot. I twirled the bag in-between my fingers and then peeked inside. Warm sugary treats lined the bag and a warm wave wafted from into making me shudder in pleasure. They were still hot. She must have just brought them. I liked sweet stuff. I never usually had the chance to eat it as the stores selling them were sally big and loud. I tended to stay away from that sort of thing. I placed one in my mouth. It was rich and creamy. Heat rolled on my tongue and buttery goodness oozed from the inside. This must have cost an arm and a leg.

"Is it good?" the damned teen grinned flashing her teeth at me smugly.

"Yes. But why?"

That's when it hit me. My birthday. She may be acting kinda bitchy but she had good intentions. Dumb kid. Even I hadn't remembered the date. I almost started bawling at how nice it felt for someone to care about me.

"Come here kiddo…" a look of annoyance passed across her face. She still hated the nickname. That was good. It's always nice to have a bit of leverage. She approached me with caution as she had learnt not to doubt my ability to randomly attack her to test her defences. When she was about a meter so away I pounced. Yona must have been expecting a blow to the chest as she shifted into a side on form and extended her arms in front of her. But I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into my embrace. After a minute of her being frozen with the words 'wait…what?' Being half formed she returned the hug.

"Thank you." We pulled apart and she was beaming like a lamp. "You actually remembered!"

"Why wouldn't I?" she looked puzzled but then passed me another sack. This kid had already given me far too much and she was given me more. She must have understood how I felt as she whispered "don't worry I didn't buy it. It's something I just wanted to give you."

This time it was a cloth like thing with a bow at the top. She tugged an end of the ribbon to reveal an amber neckless inside.

"It's my mum's. I'm never going to wear it. Your like my mum now Ennis. A second mother I guess. Please have it." Astonishment was all I felt. "Also it matches your hair." She added. She weaved around me and placed it on my neck and tied it at the back. She then moved back to face me. I hugged her again this time in tears. Tears of joy of course, why would I be sad? I then held her at arm's length and said "well shorty as your new mother I'd like to say that you have some spots on your face. Just sayin'." She reacted how I thought she would and whiningly told me 'I do not have spots on my face!'

She cooked that evening. She wasn't the best cook but anyone is better than me. The evening was spent pleasantly and it was perhaps the best day of my life. I wish it could have lasted forever but if time froze I'd be stuck eating crappy food for the rest of my days.


	9. Weird Name

He was lying on the roof. Yona was mildly tempted to push him off and be done with it but she knew it wouldn't work. Hak was still too strong for her. Instead she poked her shoe into his ribs. He cracked an eye open and straightened himself to a position in which to view her better from. This evening was darker then the last.

"I understand milady explained my situation. What are you doing here?"

"I just have some question that need to be answered. Not many. Don't worry" he replied _._ Only one word described her situation. _Shit._

"First off why was princess so tense when telling me about you."

"I don't know. You ask her."

It was round then Hak realised she'd ever answer him properly.

"Fine. You can leave now." Yona nodded. She knew she'd gotten the 'I'm not telling you anything' message across. She left. Hopefully he wouldn't bother her again. But of course he did. About a second later she turned.

"Hey." Hak was following her.

"I'll answer your questions." he nodded, satisfied. That made her even madder then she had been already.  
"What's your name then?"

She was lost for words. She had thought about every situation in which she might get caught out but she had never thought about this detail. But there was a name she had been constantly thinking of. It was an eternal presence. She said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'm Ennis."

"Weird name. Foreign?"

"Yeah."

* * *

"Tourust?" I couldn't help it. The woman before me was beautiful. Soft brown hair, thick eyebrows and golden and green eyes. Her skin was dark from working in the sun which contrasted spectacularly with her oddly light eye colour. But she had the dumbest name.

"Uh huh, my mom was on drugs when she gave birth to me and named me."

"Tourust." She rolled her eyes at my disbelieving and testing tone. I couldn't help it. The name was just… for god's sake it was worst then mine!

"Just take your fucking meat and leave!" she yelled. I took the meat I had just bought from her store. Before this moment I thought I was to experience to feel surprised any more. I was proven wrong. I turned my head to look back. Tourust the butcher was glaring at me from the counter. I don't think you're supposed to like people who yell at you but I did like her.

"Bye Tourust!" I called to annoy her one more time. Her eyes lit up and she shot from her seat. As I walked away (avoiding people as usual) I could hear faint screaming and insults aimed towards me in the background which probably (defiantly) came from the charming butcher. I had just made a new friend. After that I made several other stops. Namely at Tenki's store to pick up veg and barley. I liked the shop. It had a warm liquor like sent but with spice and strong smelling flowers. It was dark and I felt comfortable in the little light provided. I also brought a bottle of liquor for the sake of getting drunk. Yona had informed me she wouldn't be coming this evening and I was going to make the best of my alone time. By that I mean getting drunk and crying my eyes out over old memories.

From Ame-Hi I got snacking food and I was all set for my free evening. Come to think of it I had really settled down since I began talking to people. That happened more often nowadays. I think I got the confidence from a certain kid. Unfortunately that did not extend to more than small talk with some odd people I had known for a while and not talked too.

Once I made it back I took out my trusty sword and did some practise. And then I drank. Not my best idea as I don't hold my liquor well and started throwing up everywhere. So I was sitting there drinking with my sword on the floor when I heard something. I almost chocked and killed myself in those few seconds but I spit out the booze and cleared my air way. When I heard sounds it was usually a lost squirrel or a trapped bird that had made its way to my house. But the sound was different this time. Not the normal fluttery bumps. It was deep loud and it was scary. This is coming from someone who almost doesn't feel emotions. I was scared. And I had the right to be.

"What the fuck-" I was caught off guard. For the second time that day I was proven wrong. There were still many surprises in this world.

* * *

 **Just a small warning that everything I write tends to become morbid and twisted and that is why I rated it M.**


	10. Mature

The roof tiles wobbled under the pressure. They had been sitting there for about half an hour. When Hak had said he had a few questions he had been lying. As soon as she gave him the thumbs up she had been bombarded with them. She had finally had enough.

"Can I go now?"

"Just a few more."

"I'll do it tomorrow. I need to go."

"Same time tomorrow?" he asked annoyed.

"Sounds good." She left. After all the talking 'Ennis' was still a mystery to Hak. She felt familiar but different. So very different to the people here. _And where did she get those clothes?_ It was beyond uncommon for a woman to wear trousers but she pulled it off. _Weird girl._

* * *

A refreshing smell wafted past. It was hard to describe but had a spicy hint to it. _Someone was cooking. Judging by the smell they were a very good cook. Unlike me._ Yona giggled to herself. At least her cooking was better than Ennis's. She had just made it past the castle walls and was passing by were her mentor used to live. It felt great to get away from the tense conversation where she had to make up lie after lie about how she came to be a 'lady-in-waiting'. She didn't feel so good when passing it. She had never really liked the house and suspected Ennis didn't either. She averted her gaze and exchanged her walk to a light jog.

She reached her destination. A vegetable store. But this one was special. It also served liquor. That was good. A warm smell greeted me and the partially underground store came into view. It was largely a stone structure with wooden beams and pillars. Shelves stretched against the walls and a lantern illuminated the items on display. She picked a large bottle. After asking the owner she was told that it had several years under its belt and was just reaching its peak of taste. As Yona was handing the owner the money she asked a question: "aren't you a little young to be drinking?"

"I'm mature for my age." she burst out laughing. Yona was given the bottle and she sent me off. Yona didn't know why she sometimes drank. It relaxed her and even though the burning sensation was slightly unpleasant it numbed her down. She only ever took a couple of sips. This bottle would last weeks; that was if she sealed it properly. She purchased a few dumplings which she ate on her way back.

 _What a crappy day that was._ She stuffed the last dumpling into her mouth as she reached her bedroom. She lay down in the well-crafted sheets and uncorked the bottle. It made a satisfying pop and she placed it to her lips. One calloused hand tipped the bottle up and the liquid streamed down. It was hot and bitter. She wiped her palm over her mouth took another chug and pressed the cork back in. It was then placed in the bag after her daily brief in section of its contents. As she lay there in the dark Yona felt a little more content then she ordinarily did.

* * *

"Your lady-in-waiting is weird."

"I think she's really awesome." Yona stretched out a hand to pick up another sheet of paper and re-dipped her brush in ink. She passed it over the page and in delicate text which was too far for me to see. She had a scar running across her wrist. Sometimes you had to ask how a sheltered princess could receive so many injuries. Her hands were calloused and in normal clothes she could have passed off for a warrior or a farmer. When I questioned her she would say something like 'I use my hands a lot. That's why there so calloused.' Or 'I'm clumsy. I tripped.' But that could only explain so much. Despite that I remained quiet. I was the loyal bodyguard and she was my princess.

I looked at her. Her hair was glimmering and had water drops in it.

"Your hair's wet."

"I had something called a bath from the far of land of bathroom. Judging by the smell you've never been there."

"Damn princess. That kinda hurt." She finally looked up from her early morning writing.

"You're distracting me. Could you please leave." Impatience radiated from her core. She was in a very bad mood. I got up and left the room. I bumped into the king along the way. He told me he was going to see Yona. He barely got to nowadays. It was as if she was avoiding him.

"You don't want to go in there. She's in a bad mood." A look of worry passed his regular positive expression. He went in anyway. Just like him to ignore what I told him. But I guess if he didn't I wouldn't be here. Yona came out a second later with the paper in a roll under her arm and her calligraphy equipment in hand. She was defiantly avoiding him. She seemed to be avoiding me too. She was isolating herself. Even with Soo-won here. It had been like this for quite a while. A year and a half maybe? One day she was all smiles and the next… well she was still smiling but something was wrong. Very wrong. Most people didn't notice. I did. Mainly because I thought of her at every second of the day (and night) and stared at her when no one was looking. Thinking over my actions I realized that was really creepy. Whatever, no one knew but me. And I already knew I was a creep. Who else would fall for such a brat?

She marched to her room and slammed the door. _What is up with her today? I'll have to ask Ennis._ Becoming friends with Ennis could become beneficial in knowing what went through Yona's mind. He would have to find some way to get close to her. There was something wrong with me. But there was something wrong with everybody so what did it matter.

And it was time to check on what the depressed sheltered kid was doing in her room! How fun. I slid the door open quietly and studied her.

There was a candle lit and the room was dark. The curtains where drawn and the shutters closed. She was kneeling before a scroll. Her hands where clapped together in a prayer position.

"Please, if you're up there god, can I see her just one more time?" She whispered. And that's when I closed the door. I would have to ask Ennis about this.


	11. Roof

Yona simply loved how her day went out: first she spent most of it in tears and now she had to lie to her best friend! How great it had turned out! She kicked a stray pebble off the roof.

"hey." She hadn't even noticed him.

"How did you…" she stammered.

"Well unfortunately for you, you're not the only one with ninja qualities." She snorted. _Jerk._

 _"_ I would insult you but I don't currently have a mirror to hand you." It was all she could think of. It was a little rushed and strange in the comebacks department but it still managed to make him laugh. It was a warm evening and she could see everything as if it were day. He smiled. His smile was innocent and beautiful. It made her want to protect him. But Hak was a trained soldier and there was no current threat. _The hell am I thinking?_

She took out the bottle of liquor. The familiar tingle passed down her throat as she took a sip and she seated herself on the edge, her legs hanging dangerously. Hak sat beside her. She passed him the bottle and he sipped too. Yona had created an indirect kiss. She hadn't realised it then but as he handed the bottle to her she became aware of her mistake. She could feel herself blushing. Luckily he couldn't see her and hadn't realised. She had to take her mind off it. Hak did it for her.

"What was up with Princess today?"

Yona thought quickly. He must have walked in on her prayer or just realised her crankiness. She had to make an excuse for both. "She was probably thinking of her mother."

"Makes sense." He seemed satisfied.

"I bet she misses her. I miss my mum. She disappeared about a year ago, a year and I half? I don't keep track."

"That's depressing. I don't know my parents. I was adopted." Silence fell. A very awkward one. Once again he began: "onto the questions then."

"Fire away big guy."

"First one! Aren't you too young to drink? You're short so I'm guessing here but are you the princesses' age?" he looks sort of worried.

"That was two. Yes and yes. Next!"

* * *

It appeared differently to everyone. I guess it depends on your beliefs, morals and personality. The place appeared warm to me. Perhaps I wanted to be comfortable. A woodland landscape with a small clearing stretched out in front of me. It was tinged lime green because of the sunlight streaming through the leaves. I felt free. That's what I had always wanted. I was also alone. Just the way I wanted to be. I wanted her at the same time.

A brilliant blue pond with lilies on the surface lay in the middle. A willow stood in front of its edge. The willows arm like leaves touched the ponds surface. I walked to it. Leaning over I could see brilliantly coloured fish swimming in its surprisingly deep pit. I spotted the end of it about fifteen meters down. Water weed clung to the sides of this well like pond.

The only other tree in the clearing was a large oak. At the oaks base a bench wrapped round it with soft mint green pillows pressed to the trunk. It looked comfy. The soft grass was not humid, wet, muddy, earthy or bug filled. It was soft and even like a carpet.

On the grass lay soft flowers of purple, pink, blue and white. I stepped over the flowers not wishing to crush them. Who would want to destroy such pretty and delicate things? One of my bare feet was placed onto the bench and the other followed. Now that I stood on it I was high enough to tug down a ladder from one of the branches. I scaled it and when I reached the top I was graced by a clear platform with a small cabin at the end. If you are wondering how that fit at the top of a tree I do not know. I don't think anybody could make sense of it. But nothing made sense here. It was too perfect to worry about the natural laws of science. It just bended to whatever they wanted it to be. This is where they placed me and I was not in a position to complain. So I did It in my head instead. I wanted to see my master again. To them I was a disposable pawn to move around and I was playing the role of the sacrifice.

In this all too perfect world that didn't matter. I had left the game bitter. Chess had never been my thing but that didn't mean they had to dispose of me so harshly. I, Ennis, a warrior possessing the power of the orange dragons' blood, had failed. I wanted to protect my king till the end of the game but if the players decided that to save the most important piece I had to go, that was how it was. I wanted to see my king win triumphantly and support him the whole way but there are almost no pawns near the end of the game. Chess is a cruel game. I had learnt it from one of the books within the cabin in the trees that I currently occupied. There was a small library containing past and future knowledge. It was meant to keep me entertained till I saw her again. Instead it made me strangely aware about how close my situation was to that light pass time. I, Ennis, a warrior possessing the power of the orange dragons' blood, was a simple and disposable pawn to the player. I would never be anything else.

The house was empty as always. I placed my shoes at the entrance and went to my favourite room. The living room. It was open and one of the wall was some solid but see-through material. It was a mainly white room with simplistic furniture and colourless pictures decorating the walls. On the table in the centre (which was low down. They referred to it as a 'coffee table' which strikes me as more than a little weird.) Lay a pile of books for me to read. I lay on the 'couch' and took the one on top. It was thin and had a hard black cover. I flipped to the first page where the title was usually printed. It said 'The Long Route' in elegant script. I put it down after about a minute. I couldn't understand half of what was written. I was too distracted and it was too vague. I checked the clock in the corner of the room. Almost lunch time. Luckily here I was no the cook. Instead my meals appeared on the dining room table at eight am, 12 am and seven pm. I still had half an hour. They were well made and different each day. I was also very hungry today.

I decided to change while waiting. My clothes were sodden as I had fallen in the lake again. It was warm but I didn't like being wet. If there was one thing I couldn't sand in this small utopia it was the bedroom. It was simple like the living room but a full length mirror took up on of the walls. I tried to ignore it but I would always catch glimpses of myself. I wish I could get rid of it like the ones at my old house but it was stuck it place. In the bedroom was a wardrobe, which was one of its better points. It was well made and aesthetically pleasing. The clothes inside were the opposite.

The clothes were all a vibrant white which I couldn't stand. I missed my simple browns. But I couldn't complain. The outside may have changed to fit me but they designed the cabin. Most of my clothes remained the same baggy wares but there were many dresses and kimonos too. I picked out a long skirt and a top. I never wore skirts but my regular items were dirty and in the wash, also I would never wear one of the dresses. Those things never suited me. I went downstairs after I changed. The task was more difficult than usual as halfway through I found myself staring at the mirror. I looked weird. It didn't look like me. I was serious I wasn't meant to have soft face and a gentle gleam. The eyes were too wide in my opinion and the nose felt a little big. I resembled a shocked horse. Great.

I went downstairs. The meal was there. Hooray! I slipped into the dining room and onto a seat. I unwrapped the food, which was in a small box with a tartan cloth covering it. Plum rice balls lay on the side and a warm curry oozed in a hot spicy mess. I drooled. I didn't even realise it until a blob of spit landed on the table. It was finally time to stuff my face.


	12. The Other Ginger

Me and Ennis had known each other for a couple of months now. She was kind but distant and it was needless to say I liked her. Her sense of humour was a little weird with a lot of sarcasm. Like me. She was close to the princess and knew everything about her. Like me.

She always talked about her mother. The way she talked about her it seemed like she was more an idol. Her mum sounded awesome. She was always playing around. She sometimes brought food which we would share and we seemed to have the similar tastes. Sometimes we met briefly while she was on her way to town and other times we waited for each other wanting to have a conversation and to banter aimlessly. She was protective over the princess like me.

My crush on Yona had gradually begun to fade in the place of one for Ennis. She was smart and we had more chemistry than anyone else. I still loved the princess but it was an afterthought to how much I liked Ennis. My greatest wish had become to see her face. I honestly didn't care if she was ugly I just wanted to see what she looked like so I wouldn't have to imagine. Sometimes while pondering what her appearance might be she fused with Yona, beauty and years of trust mixed with chemistry and similarities. If only that were true.

I didn't want to pressure her though. I was she would reveal herself in her own time.

That particular evening she was waiting for me. I spotted her leaning against the roof in a relaxed position. She must have been waiting quite a while. I left the inner courtyard and using one of the pillars I climbed to the top. She was wearing a different cloak. Instead of the black one she was wearing a bronze brown one. It was always brown if it wasn't black with this kid. A heavy looking bag which looked used but sturdy was propped up beside her. I had never seen it before, she must have been planning something.

"Sup Ennis."

"Hak. Good you're here. I didn't think I would be able to see you."

"Why not?" sometimes we did miss the other one in passing but we would just see each other the next day. We were stuck here together and I honestly liked it that way.

"Somethings come up. I'm leaving."

"You're kidding right? Always been the joker Ennis!" I laughed a little. No way was she being serious.

"I really have to go. I'm so sorry. I lied to you a lot. Please forgive me for that. I need to go now."

She picked up her bag swung it across her shoulder and lowered herself to the ground. I had seen her do this so many times but it was different. It was sad and she sprinted instead of her light jog. She climbed up the castle walls using small rocks as foot holds and just like that she disappeared. I don't think I accepted the reality till the next morning. Ennis was well and truly gone. So was princess Yona.

* * *

A note was on the kitchen counter. In neat script with unnecessary swirls was written:

 ** _Dearest Ennis,_**

 ** _Meet me at the usual._**

 ** _-the other ginger._**

Jerk. I decided to humour him. I sorted through my cupboard. You see every mildly important person is put in a mini paradise. Everyone else fades away into nothing. Just like that. In paradise we do get to interact with others even if I don't enjoy it. It's nice to do something special once in a while. The one hot spot for activity was a restaurant. It was a beautiful place and I liked it very much. But it was always crowded so I went there rarely. I was one of the few important woman in a sea of thousands of men. That made things uncomfortable. Luckily I was never the centre of attention. He was. They were always fawning over stories about him. As soon as he was mentioned a crowd would gather over the table and people would listen to the story. Up until a while ago he had been with us but then he got reincarnated so every waited for him to come again.

There was not much that suited the occasion in the cupboard. I eventually found something. It wasn't really me but it wouldn't hurt for one evening.

* * *

The original four warriors had a constantly reserved table. Here they were regarded as royalty. No one seemed to remember or care about the orange. He faded in the background as usual. Forgotten. Perhaps he liked it better that way. He introduced himself to me for the first time as 'the other ginger, the first one.". I liked him.

I sat at the table. He was late. It was dark out but through the windows streamed light making it look like a warm summer day. The laws of physics didn't apply here. Nor did the laws of time. Marble pillars laced with black, yellow and pink held the gold ceiling. Everything lay easy on the eyes. The light pink table cloth was so long it fell onto my lap and the jade satin seats. Light radiated from everything. most things there were wooden and it merged well with the rest.

I tapped my foot against the ground nervously. A very drunk white dragon warrior stumbled over to me. Gu-En. Everyone had been trying to force information about Yona out of me. I wouldn't budge an inch. It was her private information and these were all loyal dragon warriors but I wasn't about to hand out what she told me in trust. Is hook my head at him. He shrugged and went back to his table to yell at Shuten for pestering Abi. They were all waiting for Zeno.

Then he arrived among a sea of white haired, green haired and blue haired. The fucktard grinned mischievously orange hair practically radiating and my eyes shone in his face. He pulled my eyes and hair of with a flirtatious wink and social comfort I could only dream of. He radiated confidence. Wagashi Dokele the first orange dragon who also happened to be a dick. He sat opposite me and too of his expensive jacket. He was showing off now and seemed impossible to miss but the guy had a talent for disappearing and sneaking past people.

"Hello Ennis." His cheerful seemed to be multiplying by the second. He looked me up and down. "You look fantastic. I thought you didn't like dresses."  
I glanced down at the black satin dress. It reached to my knees and underneath was a white shirt. The only part of the shit you could see was the collar at the top folded over the black. The fabric covered my shoulder and in an attempt to make it less dull I had put on the neckless Yona gave me.

"I don't. But it's not every day I get to see you." He burst out laughing and then he turned to me his once laughing eyes sharp.

"Let's talk business Ennis. I know I'm the greatest ancestor ever but-". His narcissistic smile switched back on. "I haven't been paying that much attention to you. Even I know you want to see her. I'm planning to ask them if you can see her again in the next meeting." My heart froze. My one wish had a chance of completion. I wanted to see her again. My opinion of Wagashi changed instantly. He was a self-centred douchbag who enjoyed insulting me and irritating others but he had a kind side too, what I most disliked about him was I that everyone was expected to treat him like he was above them because he served Hiryuu. No matter what he did you just had to gin and bear it.

"I get were your coming from. You may not like me but I know what you're going through. I had a wife you know." I was surprised. This cunt was married? I know he's handsome and all with his shining smile and his perfect hair, but seriously?

"I loved her very much. I want to see her beyond everything else. I would do anything to release that pain and I want that for others too."

I wanted to kiss him or show him how thankful I was. I eventually managed to remind myself that this guy was my ancestor and that was gross. So I hugged him instead and to let him know I wasn't going soft I slapped his perfect face lightly.

"Thank you." I smiled as wide as I could. I then picked a loaf of fresh bread from the basket at the centre of the table and ripped a corner off. It ripped and the soft interior was exposed to the world and then bathed in molten seaweed butter. I then stuck a dumpling in my mouth. And that was when I knew this place was heaven. The food was out of this world. I looked up to find Wagashi staring at me. Awkward silence fell. I needed to start a conversation and fast.

"So… um… how did you die?" he shifted his gaze at the floor.

"Fire and shit. You?"

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyes the chapter. Please leave a review. In other news the restaurant is based on a real place. Search up 'London restaurant Zedel'on google. I visited there not so long ago. It was nine a clock in the winter so it goes without saying that it was dark out, inside by the miracle of artificial lighting it looked like midday. It was amazing.**

 **thank you for reading this even though its an awkward side project which I put effort in but it still turned out bad!**


	13. Death

Yona fell asleep that evening and opened her eyes a few seconds later.

Stars filled her vision. Her feet stood upon a white glassy surface that glowed phosphorescently. Large purple glowing rocks emerged from the endless surface. Far off the stars seemed to be more faded. Dark blue lines twisted in the sky. It was like heaven.

She appeared to be alone. Yona wished she could admire the simple beauty of the place before her but her vision was misty and her head felt like it had wet cotton in it. Maybe she was dreaming. Trying to clear her mind she studied herself and her surroundings. She was wearing a tan knee high dress with a baby blue ribbon midway. Her feet were bare and the air was cool on her exposed skin. It smelt of nothing. Or maybe she wasn't conscious enough to reach that sense. She was kneeling.

Suddenly she knew she wasn't alone anymore. She turned. Someone was smiling upon her. A palm touched her shoulder. Its warmth contrasted to the coolness of Yona's open skin. Yona spun to face the person. At first the mistiness took over her sight and it was a foggy mess but her eyes adjusted. A white shirt. White trousers. A white hair tie too. They were such a gleaming white that it appeared first. Later came the loving eyes and orange hair.

"You've grown." She was heart stopping. All the browns she had worn were now matching to her dazzling toothy smile. Pure white. "It's been too long. I'm really sorry."

Yona turned into a puddle of joy. A mess of tears and grins. She didn't want to touch her teacher. She didn't want to ruin her purity. After a while Ennis sat.

"Focus young pupil!" she ordered her voice light and jokey. "We don't have long. I have things to tell you. Listen closely." Yona's face resembled an obedient dogs upon hearing those words.

"You have to find the others. You'll know then when you see them. Do you know the legend of Hiryuu? If you don't research it later. In short you're his reincarnation. Find the other warriors. They'll protect you. Don't try to find me. Whatever you do. I won't be there." Her last three sentences took on a more serious tone.

"Why not? Where are you? Where are we right now?" panic suddenly spread through Yona's mind like a disease.

"You'll find out some day. Just calm down."

They sat in silence enjoying each other presence. The reunion was cut short. A dark cloaked man came into Yona's line of vision. His eyes where hidden and the only part of his face on display was a bearded smile.

"Come Ennis. You must leave now." He spoke. His voice deep and mellow. Like the voice of comforting reason. But to Yona he sounded awful because of what he said. Ennis was leaving. She stood beside Yona and her eyes filled with tears.

"We'll meet again. I promise. Bye kiddo" And before Yona could force her cotton mind to yell at Ennis to not leave, Ennis had taken the man's hand and walked away. At about teen meters they disappeared. She was alone again. So much wishing for her mentor had been temporarily expelled but it came back in a crashing wave of loss. She had been right there. And she had once more disappeared. And this time there was little to no hope of finding her. It was the last time her nickname was said and Yona had enjoyed it. So much nostalgia of back then filled her.

She wanted to smash something. Her heart tore painfully and her brain swam nauseously. The glassy floor cracked as if reflecting her mood. The stones burst to pieces with loud breaking sounds. The stars died above in bright bursts of colour. Finally Yona found her voice and let out an ear-splitting scream of a tortured being or a wolf discovering its murdered pack. Heaven fell.

Then she awoke. Sweat stuck to her forehead. She had to leave. She had to fill the last command of her adopted mother. She wasn't sure if she believed in the reincarnation crap but she wasn't about to ignore it. She would find the warriors and Ennis too. She didn't care if she had been told not to. There had to be a way. There always was.

She changed and grabbed her bag. She decided to say by to Hak. She couldn't not do it. He was closer then family at the moment and she would be dammed if she didn't say bye to the person she treasured most. She went to the roof and waited. Yona told herself if he wasn't there in two hours she would leave. Thankfully he showed up. It broke her heart but she would have to leave him behind as well as her father.

* * *

I remember exactly how I died.

I heard the sound.

"What the fuck-"

The sound came again but clearer, closer. I reached for my sword. I clung to the hilt and pulled of the leather sheath. It was a beautiful thing which I unfortunately hadn't brought with me. A silver curly and elaborate guard was its main feature. Not that I needed a guard but I liked the way it looked, more chivalrous. It was sharp on both sides making it deadly in whatever way I swung it. Perfect in my opinion.

Something the colour of a fallen maple leaf filled my sight and then shortly after black. I was in a white space.

"Hello Ennis." A long twisting dragon with a deep voice spoke. This was my dragon, the orange. It regarded me as a child would regard its broken toy.

"I'm sorry but we have to take you away from where you are now."

"You're killing me?"

"Yes."

"But I still have several more years!"

"You DID have several more years." I now understood where my bitchiness came from.

"How come?"

"You're getting to old we need to replace you with someone who'll last longer and not be a burden on Hiryuu when they get to old." He was talking about me.

"What about my body?"

"We will take care of that. Now you can just sit back and relax in paradise. You'll get to meet all the dead dragon warriors and some important priests there, of course you will get your own living space but you'll get the details later. Goodbye!" and just like that I appeared in my little heaven. A beautiful isolated forest, the place I had always dreamed of.

I told Wagashi an abridged version of it. He sat there looking bored.

"That's great kid. Grandpa has to go now." And then he left. I had just revealed one of the most important moment of my life, or death depending on how you considered it, and he had the nerve to find it dull. I jammed the fork into the lemon tart. It was a soft thing and tasted fucking delicious. I was still angry though. My only comfort was I was maybe going to get to see her again. Perhaps for only a few minutes but that was good enough for me.

At the same time I was relieved he had left, I didn't really want to talk to him more then I already had. I scooped more of the tart into my mouth. It melted on impact and the sweet but impactful lemon middle made its way down my throat, the merengue foam on top of the tart dissolved slightly.


	14. Strength

I was a long way away from home. That I knew. I had been walking for about two hours and I was still hyped up. she was out there, Ennis was out there, and she had given me a mission. Thinking about it I was once more filled with adrenaline and I ran, laughing, like a little kid playing. My earing swung in the surprisingly strong night wind. It wasn't cold it only brought a senses of freedom and making the situation more real. My long hair was flung up only to settle down and then back up.

I slowed to a skip and whistled a tune I had heard long ago. Of course it couldn't all be fun and games. I would have to track down these 'dragon warriors'. So far I had no idea where to start. Maybe I could try asking a priest. They always seemed to know stuff.

My energy faded once again and I reminded myself that sleep was an essential part of survival. I settled next to a tree and lay my back against it. I used a long piece of thick cloth as a blanket and folded my hands behind my head in the darkness. The stars shone bright, not as much as where I had seen Ennis but still bright.

A moment of doubt swept over me, what if it had only been a dream. _Well to bad, never mind, at least you're out of that hell hole, you needed to leave anyway._ I told myself. I would now finally get the chance to be with her. I didn't like disobeying Ennis but I missed her too much to leave her alone. It was me and Ennis versus the world. I didn't need dragon warriors to protect me. Perhaps I would meet them in passing but that was all. I would find them, introduce myself and then find Ennis. Maybe they even knew where she was, she had mentioned them as if she knew them so why wouldn't they know her?

But first off I wanted to explore, who wouldn't after being stuck in a castle for so long? Maybe a nice place by the sea, I had never seen the sea before and i heard from Hak (while on the roof pretending to be Ennis) that it was of indescribable beauty. A port town. I had heard Awa was nice this time of year.

* * *

My talk with Yona had gone pretty well. I got all the information I was tasked with giving her over quickly and I had a little time to tell her not to find me. She would still try. I knew she would, she was stubborn like that. It didn't matter too much anyway, she would never find me and she would realise that soon enough.

I had another meeting with Wagashi today at the restaurant. I arrived an hour early because I was so happy that doing anything else but thanking him was painful. To make the time pass quicker I'd ordered a drink; something called a 'Pina Colada' made in 1963, which I guess was supposed to make sense? I read about it in a cocktail book. The best looking ones so far was the 'blue lagoon' and 'sex on the beach'. I had created a long list to try out at different points here. After all I had to keep myself busy. Luckily there was a cocktail menu, unfortunately they didn't serve the 'zombie cocktail' which I eventually had decided to try find in a bar nearby.

It finally arrived. It smelled nice and was in a curvy glass. It was white with foam and most of it was ice. I took a suck from the colourful straw, the alcohol was light. They probably didn't want me to get drunk like the first time I came. When I got drunk I apparently (the key word is 'apparently'. I can't remember a thing) destroyed a column and tore my shirt off. Luckily I was wearing a bra that day and I had a flat chest so I wasn't instantly noticed by any nearby pervs. Thinking about it the zombie cocktail had a lot of alcohol in it and that's maybe why they told my they didn't make it.

A sly ginger entered. He was here. I stood slightly and waved a hand to capture his attention. He noticed me instantly. He pulled out the chair and sat.

"So what are your plans now Ennis?"

"To try every cocktail ever made."

"That's kinda fucked up, but whatever floats your boat for killing time I guess."

He leaned back the forward placing his elbows on the table. I was about to remark that it was considered rude in multiple cultures when he spoke once more:

"You should do something with your hair Ennis, it doesn't look nice like that." He was being far too blunt, it kinda hurt what little self-esteem I had built up in this paradise of weird looking people.

* * *

I fucked up. I messed everything up on a simple decision like the fool I was. I was your not so average person, I cried a lot and was a weakling who apparently had no manners. I tried to get stronger for everyone around me but every time I made an attempt it backfired. This time was no different.

I wasn't about to enter a contract like that at first, it had the harsh consequences of a shorter life but as soon as the orange beast mentioned 'you'll get stronger' I was hooked. I said yes with no second thought. I wanted to be better and powerful for my family. Funny how things turned out.

That's how I ended up walking down the road sniffing and glaring at the heavens. Those jerks didn't tell me my appearance would change upon accepting the dragon warrior blood. I used to look average dark hair and dark eyes, same as everyone else. I now had brighter honey bronze eyes and orange hair. Orange fucking hair. Everything was really looking up for me (please note the sarcasm ).

As soon as I'd sealed the deal I changed. At first I was like 'pshhhh… I can totally hide this from my family!' I couldn't. After a month of hiding my face they began to worry. It was all 'Tah what's wrong honey? You can tell us anything, you know that right?' Excuse the embarrassing nickname. My actual name was Tah-Gou. I, Tah-Gou Yaghan who drank the blood of the orange dragon for strength, was a loser. I left my family because I didn't look like their son anymore, it would hurt too much if they rejected me. I left when my parents got worried about half a year ago and haven't seen them since. I missed them. I had never been away from my family and now I was journeying to find so master guy and devote my life to him.

I felt tears sting my eyes, fantastic I was crying again! My personality had altered a bit as well before I was more innocent and kind but now I was sarcastic and desensitised. All I had ever wanted was to gain money for my family and make them comfortable and happy but I had only succeeded in destroying my own life. I had nothing to do but obey the carrot coloured beasty and search out the person I had to protect. I had promised myself that it wasn't that bad but deep down I knew I was better off dead then to carry out my pointless and broken existence. Why had I been so god damn dense!

I stumbled over another rock, I was becoming off balanced in my self-hatred. I stood still trying to regain the brief composure I had before. I looked to my left on a brief whim of a sixth sense telling me something was there. A girl was settling near a tree. At least it looked like a girl from afar. It was rather dark. She looked nice enough, cute and sweet even. But you never really knew what someone was like till they snapped. What stood out was the hair, it was a beautiful ruby red. I realised I was starring. Why was I starring? It was creepy and awkward for me to look at this clearly younger girl for the amount of time I had. Then our eyes locked. Lavender orbs gazed into mine. Was I having a heart attack? I was really warm and felt drawn towards her by an invisible force. She was him. She was my master. She didn't look so bad, maybe death wasn't the only path, I would follow behind her guarding her and keeping her safe on the route she had chosen. No matter how long it was. I had to protect her. I was weak but I would become strong.

* * *

 **I read this after writing it purely on instinct and I must admit I have no idea where I'm going with this. I killed off Ennis and now I'm sort of just writing whatever comes to mind. If you're still reading at this point well done. You truly are an amazing person to be able to plough through the dull chapter and depressing characters. Please review as it allows me to realise my mistakes and re-evaluate my existence. Thank you!**


	15. Tah

He had floppy hair which poured over his eyes. A few cowlicks and knots stuck out from the back and the sides. He had sharp cheek bones and was about my height, which was saying something as I was decently short. Rough cheap clothing clung to his skinny frame. I studied his eys now, they were wet and very red, he had been crying and a few left over tears spilt to the floor. His expression was one of shock and confusion. The thing that stood out most was the colours. Orange hair and brown golden eyes. He looked like a male, weaker and unhealthy Ennis.

"Are you perhaps related to someone named Ennis?" I said eager for information.

"Who the…" he shook his head as if shaking a thought and started in a more refined and mature way. "I'm Tah-Gou, you can call me Tah."

I honestly couldn't care less what his name was. "That's great but you look exactly like a girl called Ennis, do you know her?"

"Are you saying I look like a girl?" he looked hurt.

"I'm sorry to inform you that you do, now for goodness sake do you know her?!" I was frustrated, it wasn't a difficult question! On a side note I will admit he had a feminine air about himself, he was so delicate and his skin looked really soft too.

"I don't." he collapsed to his knees and a fresh amount of tears sprang forward.

"Oh god… sorry, I was just really focused and had to know something. Are you alright?" guilt filled my senses and I struggled to not start crying myself. I had been too harsh on him, he felt close like an old friend rather than a random stranger I had stumbles upon and that made me regret my hurtful actions almost instantly after clearing up he wasn't one of her relatives. He looked the part and I had only seen one ginger in my life before him. They had that strange eye colour, it was warm but inhuman.

* * *

"You never told me your name…"

"I'm Yona." I knew it was foolish to tell someone my name but it felt almost disrespectful and wrong to lie to him. We were curled around a camp fire which he had started because in the many years Ennis had trained me and urged me to learn to make a fire, I had never bothered to educate myself.

"Cool."

Silence fell once more. Geez was this kid awkward. His stomach rumbled and he curled in on himself slightly bringing his knees to his chest. He buried his face in-between his knees and groaned slightly.

"Tah are you okay?!" he shook his head slightly.  
"Are you hungry?" he nodded his head and I took a strip of salted dried pork from the bag. I reached out and grabbed his hand and placed the pork on his palm. Upon realising what I had placed in his hand moved almost too quickly to see. He lifted his head opened his mouth and set it on his lips and brought his teeth down to chew on it. It was more solid then he expected and with difficulty he sawed through the tough food with his front teeth and eventually tugged off an uneven chunk which he continued to work at, but after closing his mouth and when it had arrived around his molars. He grinded it until it could be swallowed and then repeated the process. He cried the entire time but I couldn't find a socially acceptable cue to ask him why.

"If you're wondering why I'm crying its personal matters. Don't pry." it was a short snappy thing, like when someone walks in on you changing and you yell at them to get out. That little cocky bastard. I still couldn't bring myself to feel something against him after that little phrase because… well I couldn't.

He leaned closer to the fire which was also closer to her, I caught a hint of pine and crushed, dried herbs as he neared. It was an odd smell and I didn't dislike it but I wasn't that fond of it.

"Are you still hungry?"

He nodded again.

* * *

When Ennis had declared that she would 'try every cocktail ever made' I thought it would take a few months and that would be it. What she hadn't told me in her little speech was that she was also attempting to be able to recreate them to perfection with no help. She had stopped coming to the restaurant and instead sat at home brewing. This was very dull for someone such as myself who had finally found a conversation partner.

She was currently trying to make a Mojito which she was told by the book in front of her that it was 'one of the easier cocktails to make'. She was struggling.

"You son of a bitch cocktail! I will destroy you!" I didn't know how she could destroy a cocktail but to her it seemed logical.

She had restarted for the fifth time now and had accidently poured all the sugar into the glass. She chucked it against the wall. Ennis was usually one to keep a level head but she seemed completely different. I would have asked her why she had taken up a task she seemingly hated so much but I realised the answer soon enough. It would take a long time for her to complete this. She had spent several days on this one and sometimes left in fits of anger. She kept accidently destroying the mint leaves and turning it to a sickly paste or while squeezing the lime she would apply so much pressure it exploded and fell into the glass. This task would take years to complete. I had underestimated her intelligence.

She was a terrible cook no doubt but in heaven she seeked to improve in her weakest spot and knowing that her culinary skills where a lost cause she had turned to this.

She was taking a deep lengthy breath. A strand of her fell in front of her eyes. That's one thing I liked about being of the orange dragon, all the other dragons got immense strength and we were usually on the weaker side. What we had may have been small but in my 2,000 years of life in paradise I had learnt to appreciate it. All of us were slightly different. The other dragons all had the same eye colour and hair colour but for us it was a bit different. It was a little hard to notice but we were. Ennis's hair was a paler shade if you looked closer and her eyes too. It reflected her personality I guess, that's usually how it was. She didn't look at herself very often so she wouldn't have noticed and just assumed we were the same. She was wrong. If you saw us in a dark alley or hadn't seen one of us for a long time the colour may have looked identical. But of course as I've been explaining it wasn't. Mine was more of a tangerine colour while hers was more yellowy.

"You keep talking to it dear, I'm sure it will listen." I smirked real wide to piss her off more.

"Stay out of this Wagashi you freak!" she yelled. The smile had perhaps worked a little too well. I picked up a book from her shelf to pass the time. I settled one her sofa. I never visited people in the norm but Ennis was an exception. I missed her company and her paradise was comfy unlike my grander one.

I've always been bad at telling the time but when I looked up from my book (which was a really goo one too) the sun was settling and orange light passed through the window and cast the white room into a soft glow. Ennis was standing there which was perhaps what had awoken me from my trance like state which I usually entered when reading a book. She tucked the loose waves of hair behind one ear and smiled shyly. I had never seen her look like this. Innocents and warmth was radiated off from her hues of golden brown. She settled a glass in front of me. A mojito. It was perfect. She glided to the corner of the room and ticked it off on the list and moved her eyes to the next on the list. Gin fizz. A clear sigh could be heard. I picked the glass up and drank. It was good almost perfection to match the visual but with maybe a bit too much rum.

"Well done Ennis. Onto the next one then?"

"Yes… I suppose so." She was obviously pleased with my praise.

* * *

"Son Hak. I task you with finding my daughter Princess Yona."

I kneeled. I had already vowed to do it before he had the chance to ask me but I would promise him to.

"I will find the princess and bring her back." I would also find Ennis. On the eve that she left so did Yona. I loved both with my entire heart and body so I would bring them back. I had asked around if anyone knew of Ennis and I was surprised to find none. Who knows? Maybe Ennis was just one of Yona's friends from the outside and Yona had gone after her when she left. Or maybe it was a more dire situation and Yona had been kidnapped on the same night Ennis left. Just a coincidence. In any case I would find both of them and bring them back as soon as possible.


	16. Team

In the end we had decided to team up. I didn't really know how to react so I would make vicious remarks, feel bad and start apologizing and end up crying. She seemed bewildered at my changing emotions and our evening ended with me eating most her food and her asking me to join her because she had spotted a few bugs she wanted me to kill and didn't know how to make a fire. I decided to finally take a position on the matter and to just follow like sheep and ask no questions. It was working decently.

She was mud covered. When she ran through the field she hadn't realised how much shit stuck to her clothes and bare skin.

"You should take a bath."

"Where?" she had a puzzled expression now. She looked up at me (I was standing) and giggled softly.

"There aren't any places I can bathe here right."

"It's called a river sheltered child." I had meant for it to sound tough but my voice wobbled and I stuttered midway.

"But aren't there leeches and snakes in rivers?"

"You have to ignore those."

"Do I have to take one?" she was a bit of a brat.

"Yes."

Once again I tried to make it sound firm but it failed utterly and she just ignored me. Instead of taking a bath she adjusted her blanket. I added more timber to the fire and curled up to an opposing tree with my blanket. She settled at the one I had first seen her against and in no time flat the kid was asleep. I guess she had the right after all I had taken up about two hours of our time when I had met and started talking to her. Guilt gnawed on me once more. I was a burden, I had eaten most of her food, wasted her time and been a asshole. I needed to make it up to her. She had even trusted me enough to allow me to sleep beside her and join her on whatever quest she was currently on.

* * *

I retrieved an axe from the bottom of the satchel. He had most likely thought I was fast asleep but I honestly didn't trust a stranger enough to sleep beside him after only a few hours of knowing each other. It was simple to pretend to be asleep. You just slouched down and breathed slowly. After he fell asleep I crawled to his bag and started my inspection. In it I found: 1 knife, Flint, 3 scrolls, 1 Book, Ink, money and an axe. The last one could be considered a weapon but I preferred to think of it as a tool for gathering wood and the knife seemed to be a gutting one, for animals that is. He was clean, one hundred percent okay.

I had firstly decided to keep him around because he seemed more used to this whole 'survival in the wild' thing then I was. But my main reason at the moment was that he reminded me painfully of Ennis. Ennis, Ennis, Ennis. the whole world had revolved around her and when she left it remained the same if not making space for Hak. I would find her… I packed his bag and placed it by his feet in its original position so he wouldn't suspect that I had notice my exploration.

Next I investigated Tah. Despite being short and flimsy looking when I peeked under his oversized sleeve there was a decent, defined layer of muscle. His body seemed surprisingly flexible and he was blessed with a small waist where a lot of muscle was packed over. The look of weakness was an illusion. He was very skinny with a lot of muscle over his stick thin limbs. This made him look average sized. He was innocent looking too. In combat this kid would be good. He seemed like the type of person unable to touch a fly but at the last second he would be able to bust out some serious skills.

He was worthy of sticking around, we could fight together and help me cook. I was finally content with travelling with Tah-Gou. I went back to my own bag and grabbed the bow. Just because I was out of the castle didn't mean I could stop practising. I strung the arrow and hit a tree repetitively. Ennis had once said 'you don't have to do anything fancy, just pick a target and aim.' One arrow pierced another. That wasn't good, if I kept doing that I would have to buy more.

* * *

Ennis looked different.

"Hey Wagashi, what's up?"

Her hair was in a twisted braid and she was wearing a casual mint green hoodie and a pair of white shorts. She was glaring and seemed to say 'don't you dare comment about my clothes you bastard!' despite the instinct inside telling me to run very far away and never talk about it again I was too dumbfound to not say anything.

"What the fuck? I thought all the clothes you owned were white and that one special black dress?"

"I got sick of wearing white so I told the tailors to make me something not white. Unfortunately they didn't get the memo that I'm not the fondest of bright colours."

I raised an eyebrow.

"And the hair?"

"You told me to do something with it because it didn't look nice down."

"Ennis… I was kidding… you know that right? Also since when do you care what I think?"

"I'm not doing it for you dumbass. As you pointed out I couldn't give less of a fuck about what you think. I just …" she inhaled "I hate it when others judge me… so I did it for myself and to relieve myself of the stress of looking worse than I could in public spaces."

That was deeper then I had thought she would have gone. Perhaps that was the reason she always sat in the less crowded areas and shook slightly when others spoke to her. She was more delicate then I had previously thought. Ennis had always come off as a bit rude and a genuinely terrible person but she was more than that in the end. She also had crippling anxiety. At that point I was tempted to take out the newly issued phones and pretend to text to avoid the awkwardness. If you're wondering about the phones the most I can say on the matter is that paradise works without consideration of time and we enjoy fast methods of communication.

I cracked. her downwards stare and the silence got to me. I pulled out the phone and went onto one of the chatrooms. I having fought alongside the original four was invited to the chat. They were having a conversation. This is how it went:

Gu-En: I'm sleeping with teletubbies.

Shuten: which one?

Gu-En: sorry, I'm meant that I'm in bed and the tv is stuck on tellitubies.

Shuten: Ha!

Abi: He's probably sleeping with the yellow.

Shuten: I vote purple.

Abi: the purple one is a girl so that does make sense.

Gu-En: can we please stop talking about this? Also why is the purple one a girl?

Abi: she carries around a hand bag and no, we're not dropping the subject.

Shuten: A, that's kinda offensive, also what gender are the teletubbies?

I decided that I didn't want to join that conversation and put the phone away. while I had tried to distract myself Ennis had begun her days work on the Gin fizz. She was also failing. Instead of separating the egg yolk and putting it away she had broken it on the shell and a stream of yellow goo poured into the metal container. Onto attempt two. I took my place on the barstool next to the counter and began my long day of laughing at her misery. Ennis dumped the content of her attempt into the bin and her face took on a dangerous edge. She was serious.

* * *

I had set myself a deadline. If I hadn't found them by the princesses sixteenth birthday I was a failure as a human and a bodyguard. The question was where they were. We had scanned the local villages and asked endless questions but no one had seen a hooded short girl or a red haired one. I had only a couple of months and I would find them for sure.

I lay in bed that evening. It was almost painful to be without them. I don't know when I got so attached to them but there was only one cure for this. I would have to go looking further, I would scout every inch of land in Kouka kingdom if it was needed.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoy the new chapter whoever you are!**


	17. clearing things up

I honestly don't know how I didn't see it coming. I had even told myself 'he'll be good in a fight.' Still, this was above good.

Tah and I had been walking to our destination, Awa port. I had told him where I wanted to go and he said he would accompany me. We were walking in silence that was so quite it almost felt loud. We used a path that had been created by wearing of the earth. That meant it was rocky. So I and the idiot were trudging along minding our own business when bandits appear. So I took out my bow and was about to fire a few warning shots when Tah goes nuts. Turns out axes can be used as weapons.

At first he was slow. He turned to one of the men and asked him to put the knife down. He was whimpering and the man just laughed. I got a little dizzy after that and something in the back of my mind, an animal instinct, told me to look away because something bad was about to happen. I obeyed at first but a second later I remembered myself and opened them. The scene before me was indescribably shocking. I had confidence in my skills but I had never actually tore a human apart or seen it happen. This was the first time.

Tah lunged. He was gripping his axe tightly. He halted swiftly before a man and using the monument flipped the axe to its blunt side and knocked him over the head. Others weren't so lucky. He fought like the world depended on it.

Tah had drawn blood and taken out organs. He let out a blood curdling snarl from his mouth and finished off the last few. There had only been about ten but in the time of a minute they were all badly, even fatally, wounded.

I found it hard to believe that the monster before me had once made me considered him weaker then myself. He tucked the axe back into his bag and jogged to me grinning as if nothing had happened.

"Yona… you look pale are you okay?" His nervous stuttering voice came. This was no human.

* * *

I felt threatened for myself and Yona. The guy had an ugly mug and a full face of hair. He was chuckling at my begging. I finally felt the strength that the orange dragon had promised me. It burned in my bloodstream and suddenly I could feel everything. I felt so aware and awake as if I had opened my eyes for the first time. It was amazing. I needed to do something with the bubbling energy inside. Sitting still would hurt. Yona had her eyes closed. Good, I didn't want her to see this. She had probably felt my awakening. I hadn't been active since I drank the blood so that was why it had activated now, all my predecessors had probably had this for their entire lives. I drew the axe and went to work.

I initially hadn't wanted to hurt them too badly but when I was done I turned to a field of injuries. She had opened her eyes much to mine and her misfortune. Her eyes where wide, panicked, worried. I hated it. She looked sick and was deathly white and the red locks swaying around her only seemed to make this more evident.

"Yona… you look pale are you okay?" I hadn't wanted to straight up tell her she looked like a corpse so I toned it down a bit.

"Tah… what are you?"

* * *

I didn't dislike Virum but I wasn't his greatest fan. He wore black and resembled illustrations of the grim reaper, but tanned and with a curly brown beard. He did their dirty work. The gods' henchman. He was decent enough and was the one who had monitored my time with Yona a week or so back. He sometimes gave me information on her to keep me happy and so I wouldn't pester his masters. I had known him for quite some time but I hadn't gotten used tojis presence. Unlike with Wagashi I didn't feel an instant connection and confidence around Virum. He extended a hand. I shook it and saw his mouth fade into an upturned line.

"Lovely day today Ennis."

"Yes… I suppose it is…" I whispered back.

He was polite beyond comparison and anyone I had encountered so I was attempting to reflect that as to leave a good impression. Virum's hand was pillow soft but cold. He squeezed and then let go of my own hand. He pulled out a chair facing mine and sat. I had arrived early and waited, I did that a lot. I was scared stiff of arriving late so I always came at least half an hour in advance. As he sat I tried to see his eyes from beneath the hood. No luck, I was unable to see them. There was actually a rumour that he didn't have eyes, I knew this because I eavesdropped on the conversations of others. I didn't believe it of course but I wanted to make sure all the same… I had always meant to ask him but kept freezing up each time. Well there was no time like the present.

"Do you have eyes? Sorry but there is a rumour you don't But you defiantly do right? Right?"

It burst out and even I couldn't make out half of what I said. He laughed.

"Yes I have eyes Ennis. They were gouged out when I was alive but I'm rejuvenated back to my prime state just like you were."

I felt foolish now. Of course he would have them. I had been around twenty-five when I died but I was back in my twenty year old form same as Wagashi and everyone else.

"So why do you hide them?"

"That way no one can tell what I'm thinking." I got him on that one. Sometimes people can tell what you really feel by your eyes.

"Madame, I'm here to inform you that Hiryuu-"

"Yona." I muttered.

"Sorry. Yes, Yona. Yona has set off to meet the four dragons and has met the current orange dragon."

"So in short I was just replaced." The information stung. I was only a fragment of the past to my master now, a new 2.0 version of me was looking after her.

"That is one way of putting it Ennis." He sounded thoughtful and a bit muddled.

In my pained brain something else I needed the answer to appeared.

"How does the time line work exactly? Wouldn't we have more advanced technology if time doesn't matter?" I had touched on a subject I had lost countless nights of sleep thinking about. A fresh silence rang as he tried to put his answer into words.

"Well… not precisely. There are two main times: 2017 and where you were. They are connected. I am unsure why as my superiors haven't shared information on that so I presume it is not for my ears and I only hear snippets and what others were told. The timelines run alongside each other. One day here equals one day there. One year here equals a year there. I personally believe that maybe we are connected by…"

I had stopped listening half-way through the explanation. So I just made positive buzzing sounds and nodded. He smiled and seemed to believe I understood. I raised myself using the table as a hold.

"Thank you for coming to meet me at the restaurant today Ennis. I know how busy you are. I appreciate it very much"

"uhhh… Yeah! Busy… No prob!"

If by busy he meant laying around and telling Wagashi to 'fuck off' he was right. I walked down the polished, wood floor as I left and waved goodbye. He retuned my wave but did it better then me. Why was everyone so good at being better than me?

"Bye Virum!"

"Farewell" he echoed back in that polite voice.


End file.
